Monthly Archives: February 2008

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USA Today recently named twenty students to its 19th annual All-USA College Academic Team, honoring them for outstanding intellectual achievement and leadership. The students will receive a $2,500 cash award.

Among the named is Shuai (Steve) Xu, of Diamond Bar who is currently attending Rice University.

The team was selected by a panel of judges from almost 500 students nominated by colleges and universities across the United States. Judges considered grades, leadership, activities and, most importantly, how students extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Don Bosco basketball and baseball programs. The event will feature comedian Ernie G who has performed his “Empowerment Comedian” show at other school events and fundraisers.

A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Psychology and minor in Chicano Studies, Ernie has performed his own unique form of stand-up comedy he calls “Latino Edu-tainment – Educating and Entertaining with a Latin Flavor” at colleges, universities and schools throughout the country.

The fundraising event will feature Latino comedy favorites Sal Rodriguez and G. Reilly as well as the “Suburban Cowboy” Eric Schwartz with Ernie hosting.

All ages are welcome, although parental discretion is advised for the PG-13 show. The Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. with the comedy show starting at 8 p.m. and dancing to follow.

Tickets are $35 which includes dinner, show and dancing or $20 for the show only. For more information or for tickets, call (323) 935-4242 or the school at (626) 940-2000.

Whittier reporter Tracy Garcia wrote a story in today’s paper about layoffs at Huerta Elementary School. The school is closing at the end of the school year to save money at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified, which is going through declining enrollment.

NORWALK – The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified
School District approved the layoff of eight full- and part-time
positions in preparation for the shutdown of Huerta Elementary School
later this year.

Last spring, trustees voted to permanently close the
300-student Huerta Elementary when district enrollment declined by
about 1,500 students over a three-year period. The declining enrollment
cost the district about $9 million in state revenue, officials said.

Perhaps the next step is for the district to decide what they’ll do with the building and property. Weeklies reporter Claudia Palma is keeping tabs of Bassett Unified, which has a school campus that isn’t being used as a school. Those officials are deciding whether to keep it or sell it.

The Associated Student Inc. organization at California State Poly Pomona has proposed building a $90 million state-of-the-art campus Recreation Center. The center, if approved, will increase student fees by $149 per quarter in 2012 when the center opens.

After interviewing students on campus I found that there is a core group of students who are in favor of the proposal as well as a group who are opposed. Those in favor are about building a legacy and creating more opportunities for future students on campus.

Students who are opposed see the recreation center as too much money and that students and the university should be addressing other pressing needs such as possible cuts to Cal State schools by the governor’s proposed state budget.

Stay tuned for my article due out later this week and the student vote that will take place March 5 and 6.

Mt. San Antonio Colleges radio station, 90.1 KSAK FM, recently won four awards for reporting and use of sound at the Radio and Television News Associations annual Golden Mike Awards ceremony held on Jan. 26 at the Universal Hilton in Hollywood.

The station won the Best Sports Reporting and Best Use of Sound Golden Mikes for the Super Bowl and the Alumni feature in Division B for radio stations with fewer than six full-time staff.

Super Bowl and the Alumni is a light-hearted observation on the West Coasts lack of interest in Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears.

KSAK also won Golden Mikes for Best Entertainment Reporting, Division B, and Best Feature News Series Reporting, One Division, for the feature series Silly Songs, Serious Respect on Weird Al Yankovic.

The three-part biography covers Yankovics rise from Southern California nerd to music superstar. In the One Division category, large and small radio stations compete against each other.

The Radio and Television News Association of Southern California annually honors the best in radio and television, ranging from the major networks to college stations.

Mt. SAC to Stage An Evening of Short Original Plays, Under the Gun

The Mt. San Antonio College Theater Program will stage an evening of short original plays, Under the Gun, at 8 p.m. Feb. 14-16 with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Feb. 17 in the Mt. SAC Performing Arts Center Studio Theater.

Under the Gun is a collection of short plays by contemporary American playwrights with unique takes on how people cope with their fears when under pressure.

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $9 for seniors and students. Mt. SAC is located at 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut.